How to handle this? Opinions Please.

[cparian]

After living in the burbs for all my life, I was tired of creepy the neighbor next door watching me in my own yard, neighborhood kids playing football in my front yard & damaging things, the other next door neighbor allowing there dog to do it's business in my yard, etc.... so I bought a great fixer upper on a 10 acre completely private lot. No need for curtains it's so private.

Problem is, I have a beautiful creek I own on my property & the neighbors on the street behind me allow their children to go down there & play. Same problem, different place! In the suburban neighborhood I just let it go, realizing thats what happens when you live so close to everyone. Anyway I am trying to think of a nice way to handle this without being the "mean lady that lives behind us".

I was thinking, the next time I find some kids on my property that I would give them a piece of paper with my name & number & send them home to have their parents call me. Then I would nicely explain that if their children want to come on my property I would like them to alway be accompanied by a parent(not just an older child) & that I would ask that the parent call me first to see if it is a good time for me & to let me know what time they will be here & for how long.

Even though I realize they are the ones in the wrong, I still don't want to start something where they just wait for me to mess up somehow so they can complain to me. I just want to remind them about common courtesy. I never let my son go play in other peoples yards unless he was invited when he was young. If we wanted to hike in the woods we went to a park.

Let me know how you would feel if you were the kids parents & I was saying it this way to you, would you understand?

 

[ChickenToes]

Sounds like you have a good plan. I would make sure to talk to them sooner rather than later though, if someone gets hurt on your property you could end up with a lot of problems.

 

[annageckos]

I think it is a good idea. If anything happens to any of the kids while on your property you can be held liable. Hopefully the parents will be understanding. Good luck.

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

you could always post 'no trespassing' signs around the property every so many feet from the next one (check you area to find out that # of feet, i guess different cities/towns are different). most signs have to have the name and phone # of the person who owns the land posted on them.

i can understand your concerns since if an accident happened with their children on your property you could be the one held responsible whether you know about them there or not!

 

[Imp]

That sounds very reasonable to me. I live in the burbs, and I have a firm rule that NO kids are allowed on my property EVER without a parent accompanying them AND my permission each and every time.

Imp- My neighbors and their kids like me

BTW- I am not the mean old guy that comes out and scream at people to get off my lawn. Yet

 

[cparian]

Yeah, thats one of my main concerns them getting hurt. I have put all my time & money into this place to loose it. I am thinking about the signs but they seem so unfriendly

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Not sure if the applies or helps;

When I was a teen, we had a friend who had dirtbike jumps in their yard. The parents said as long as brought them a paper with my parents signature and stating I wouldn't hold them responsible if anything happened, they let me go play on them whenever I wanted.


I would just politely tell them that is part of your property and your not comfortable having children play by the water without an adult.

-Or- If you don't want them on there at all, your not comfortable having children play on your property.

You could always ask the kids to move down the river to where it's not actually on your property...


Just some thoughts...

 

[nonseq]

I don't know how other folks will answer this, but I grew up on a lot of land. My grandparents owned acres and acres of farmland and a chunk of a mountain. There was a creek that ran through their property. I ran with all the other kids through the woods and the fields and played in the creek. I don't where my grandparents' property line was, and I doubt that any of us knew who owned the land on which we played.

My other grandparents' house backed to a forest. I know they didn't own any of that land but we all hiked and played in it. Most of the trails through that land LED somewhere, too.

I never hiked in a park until I left home and moved to a city.


I guess if these folks are playing in the crick where you can see them, right by your house, and they are bothering you, you may want to say something. But if you have to hike a ways into the woods to know that the kids are there? I dunno. The trails probably predate you by decades, y'know?


Other folks may feel differently.......

 

[satay]

Hmmm. Well i'm not sure on this one. Where I live we all have 5 acres blocks and at the rear of our propertys there is a creek that runs through all our places. All the local kids use them whenever they like. None of us care really but then again most of us know each other. I agree though if you are not happy with them doing this on your property best to let the parents know.

 

[cparian]

No the creek is right down from the house & I can hear them walking on the rocks & talking as they go by. It's only 10 acres. All the houses behind me have less than 2 acres & the houses are less than 10 years old. I know if I sent my goats up to play in there yard they wouldn't like it. We have an actual park that isn't even 2 miles away. If they were on my property playing with my children I wouldn't care but they aren't, my kids are in their 20's.